Covering Hamilton and Robbinsville townships in-depth for The Trentonian.
I can be reached at (609) 989-7800 ext. 207 or (609) 468-6962. Email me at mmacagnone@trentonian.com or follow me @awisefool.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Vehicle plows through Hamilton repair shop

HAMILTON — A vehicle took out a Hamilton auto repair shop’s sign, plowed into the shop, caught on fire and set the business on fire Sunday morning.

According to surveillance footage provided by B&E Service owner Ed Francis, around 1:50 a.m., the vehicle appears to be travelling westbound on East State Street toward Klockner Road when it veered off road. The car took out the Citgo sign outside the shop and the vehicle — along with the sign — went into the shop. The vehicle entered the shop through one of the repair bays, slamming into the rear of a customer’s yellow 1969 Corvette and driving it into various machinery inside the shop.

A few seconds later, a Hamilton police vehicle is seen pulling into to the shop after travelling the same route of the vehicle that actually hit the shop. The police vehicle is seen in various camera angles driving around the perimeter of the building before leaving the premises. It’s unclear why the police vehicle left the scene. Hamilton police confirmed the incident, but as of press time, have not released their account of what happened.

A few more minutes pass and evidence of the fire starting can be seen on video and as the flash of flames appear, the driver stumbles outside of the shop. According to Francis, no employees were inside the shop at the time of the crash as the business was closed for the night.